The story of World of Warcraft is compelling this time. Cortyn reveals what makes the Alliance finale so emotional.
At the very end of all quest lines, a final storyline awaits players of the Alliance in World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth. It revolves around Jaina Proudmoore and the hope of reconciling with her mother. This quest line is likely the most emotional mission that World of Warcraft has ever had.
How to unlock the Jaina quest: To unlock the final storyline “Pride of Kul Tiras”, you must have previously completed the three areas Drustvar, Tiragardesund, and Stormsong Valley. Not only the main quests are sufficient, but the respective achievements of the area are necessary. Once that’s done, you can take the quest line in Boralus.
Spoiler warning: Since this article is about the finale of the quests, there will naturally be spoilers. You have been warned.
The Search for Jaina Proudmoore
Players are searching for Jaina: After players have largely pacified the three areas of Kul Tiras, Genn Greymane speaks again with Katherine Proudmoore. After all, Jaina’s fate has been transferred to Lady Ashenwind, who is now considered a traitor. Katherine decides to search for Jaina – which she naturally passes on to the players.
A rather long quest line begins, leading through several dungeons. Because the trail of Jaina is not easy to find.
After some hours, it has been accomplished and Jaina’s location identified – however, it is uncertain whether she is still alive.
The final quest step takes us into the ghostly world of Thros. Here, Jaina is held captive and sinks deeper into terrible memories from the past. Together with her mother, we see the thoughts that torment her:
- There is the death of her father, for which she is responsible
- There stands Varian Wrynn, holding her accountable because Jaina has repeatedly held him back when he wanted to eradicate the Horde
- There are the hundreds of dead from Theramore, who died due to the use of the Mana Bomb
In the end, we find Jaina in the form of the little girl she was many years ago. This is where the following cutscene begins (currently only in English):
Mother and Daughter of the Sea
Jaina’s self-doubt: In fast forward, we see Jaina’s life journey and some of her biggest decisions that ultimately caused a lot of suffering and pain.
- We see her former love, Prince Arthas, who wants to purge Stratholme – she turns away.
- We see Daelin Proudmoore, who wants to march against the Orcs, because Jaina does not stop him.
- We see Daelin again as he lies dead in Jaina’s arms.
Again and again, Jaina’s thoughts and self-doubts resonate in the background of the video. They feel overwhelming and eerie.
The final vision shows Jaina’s mother, Katherine, as she finally disowns her daughter – this is the Alliance intro cinematic. This time, however, Katherine sets the vision aside and accepts her daughter, asking for forgiveness and hoping that Jaina can forgive herself as well.
When Jaina and her mother ultimately embraced, I could hardly see the cinematic anymore. The presentation of this quest line was emotional and touching. I still wonder how WoW manages to evoke such feelings.
Well done, Blizzard. If I have to wipe away tears while taking screenshots from the cinematic, you must have done something really right. Evoking emotions, that’s what you do best.
How did you enjoy the quest line surrounding Jaina? Did it touch you as well, or did you find it rather boring?
